Bishop Ludden High School student becomes 'parent' to neighbor's family

Jim Commentucci/The Post-StandardMeghan Sexton sits with her sister Molly, 6; mother, Lois; and brother Robbie, 10, in front of a home in Syracuse's Strathmore area that she helped maintain after a family member there was deployed overseas.

By Becky Voss
Contributing writer

Compassion, service, helpfulness: These are just of few of the important values John and Lois Sexton try to instill in each of their eight children.

Yet, every once in a while, they are surprised when their chidrens’ acts of selflessness and kindness toward others go above and beyond their normal expectations as parents.

Such was the case this past year when their daughter, Meghan Sexton — a high school student at Bishop Ludden, in Geddes — offered a yearlong commitment of service to a family friend in need.

The Sexton’s neighbors, the Radliffs, are a military family living off-base with three young children.

Lt. Col. Bryan Radliff, husband and father, was about to be deployed for military service for his third yearlong mission, leaving his wife, Estelle Radliff, and their three young boys at home.

According to Estelle Radliff, the family had only two options — relocate to a military base or possibly move to South Africa where she is from, originally. Neither solution would have boded well with the three children who had established roots — as well as friendships — in the Syracuse’s Strathmore area. The family was distraught over the prospect of uprooting the kids from their familiar environment.

Meghan Sexton offered a third option.

As a neighbor, friend and babysitter for more than two years, she volunteered to step in as a ‘parent’ and help Estelle Radliff with the kids, as well as household chores, so mother and children could remain in their home.

“We were talking about the situation at dinner one night and Meghan said out of the blue, ‘I would be happy to help them every day,’” said Lois Sexton. “We were blown away at first and then we clarified ... ‘It’s a lot of work and stressful and a long time. You better think about it before you talk to Estelle’ we told her. Well, she thought about it for a few days and then she decided to do it.”

Estelle Radliff said that she was not surprised by the gesture.

“The whole family is just so giving,” she said.

“I took her up on her offer. With my husband gone, there were things I just couldn’t do with my children, three boys ... . Well they’re just wild in the store grocery store, and she’d (Meghan) say, ‘Just leave the kids with me,’” Radliff said. “She’s the best babysitter I’ve ever had, she’s a wonderful girl, has her act together and knows where she’s going. And when she tries, when she commits to anything, she gives it her all.”

For an entire year, Meghan Sexton spent countless hours helping Radliff and her three children, Patrick, 8; Brendan, 6; and Jason 3, with tasks around the house, took the children to various activities, shoveled sidewalks and driveways and watched the kids after school.

Meghan’s parents said they are very proud of her.

“She did it because it was the right thing to do, not because anyone would know about,” Lois Sexton said.

Meghan, who didn’t want any recognition for her actions, commented on why a teenager would give up her time to help a family in need.

“I think it reassured them that neighbors really do care, they are not just people living next door,” she said.

“I really loved those kids. I didn’t want them to move away,” Meghan said. “But, I have to say, it sounded a lot easier than it ended up being, but it was worth it. A few Friday nights, I wanted to go out with my friends, but I made this commitment, and I knew I had to do it.”

Meghan is going into 12th grade at Bishop Ludden Jr.-Sr. High School. Throughout her year of service, she was able to maintain high honor roll status, was inducted into the National Honor Society, served as a member of the Mock Trial team and played varsity lacrosse.

Her commitment and dedication to her neighbor earned her the high school’s Achievement. Character. Effort award, a monthly honor that is “reflective of students doing great things, in-school and out-of-school,” Assistant Principal John Bruzdzinski said.

“Meghan is an outstanding student. Meghan is an outstanding individual. She comes from a great family, and this is the type of gesture that makes all of us at Bishop Ludden very proud of her,” Bruzdzinski said.

For an entire year, Meghan helped a mother and three small children in need, but in the end, she said that she learned a lot about herself.

“I didn’t know it would be so hard. At times, I didn’t think I would be able to follow through with my commitment,” she said. “At the end of the year I said, ‘Wow, I did it,’ and I was proud of myself.

“I guess sometimes helping others helps you find qualities in yourself that you didn’t know you had, like patience and determination,” Meghan said.

After Lt. Col. Radliff’s tour in Iraq was complete, the Radliff family was relocated to Fort Hood, Texas. Estelle Radliff said that she misses Syracuse and the community she called home, but most of all she misses the Sextons.

“They became my family through all of this,” she said. “They totally included me in their life. If Lois made a cup of coffee, I got a cup of coffee. Meghan would bake and automatically make two plates. It’s just how they are — they are really caring and thoughtful. It’s not something they consciously think about, it’s just in them.”